Create a group of people to hide your photos from

Using Facebook's "Lists" feature, it's easy to make a list of people you want to hide your pictures from.

Whether it's parents, coworkers, or anybody else, all you need to do is put them all into a "List." To do it, click Account in the top right corner, then click "Edit Friends."

Click "Create a List," then find friends and add them to your new list and name your list something you can remember. Next, click Account again but this time click Privacy Settings afterwards.

Click "Custom" in the left panel, then "Customize settings" below the chart. Scroll down to anything you want to hide, click the drop down menu next to it, then click "Custom" yet again. Yes--this takes a while. Facebook likes people to be open.

Finally, under "Hide" enter in the name of the group you just created, and you're done. To be extra sure, go back to the top of this screen and click "Preview my Profile," then enter the name of a person in the list you created to see how your profile will look to them.

Use these quick tips to make viewing photos a lot better experience.

Does anyone actually like the new photo viewer on Facebook?

I'm talking about the one that makes Facebook look like a slideshow.

If you hate it, all you need to do is wait for the picture to finish loading, then click refresh in your browser. You'll be taken to the old fashioned photo page that looks like the one pictured at right.

Another useful photo-browsing tip is using your arrow keys to navigate a ton of pictures. Hold down the left or right arrow key to see your life flash before your eyes.

Remove apps you aren't using anymore--they still have access to all your information

When you install Facebook apps or permissions, the apps often get access to your wall, pictures, friends, and more.

It's easy to change your privacy settings, but not as easy to remember that apps can still mine your information even when you're not using them.

Click Account in the top right corner, then Privacy Settings, then "Edit Your Settings" under Apps And Websites in the bottom left of the privacy screen. Then click "Edit Settings" to the right of the Apps You Use panel.

Click the little gray "x" to the right of any apps you no longer use, and they'll no longer have access to your information.

Enable these handy security features to make sure your account doesn't get compromised

Two features we had no idea existed (until we scoured Facebook's settings) were the HTTPS setting and the Login Notifications setting.

If you enable HTTPS, it greatly reduces your chance of getting your password swiped when logging into Facebook on a public Wi-Fi at Starbucks.

If you enable Login Notifications, you'll get an email whenever someone logs onto your Facebook account from an unrecognized.

Personalize your Facebook URL, making it easier for people to find you

Many people use Facebook and LinkedIn as the bases of their business lives, and it's nice to have an easy to remember URL you can refer people to.

Click "Account" in the top right, then click "change" next to Username. Type in something you like, then check the availability to see if anyone has taken it.

Your new username will create a URL for you, facebook.com/ellishamburger is an example.

See a picture you like? Download it in full quality

Since Facebook switched gears to their new slideshow-ish picture browser, you can no longer drag pictures to your desktop to save them.

Screen grabbing is annoying, so look down in the bottom corner of the picture viewer and click "Download" to get a full-quality copy of the image you're looking at.

Wish you could see all your friends' birthdays in iCal, Outlook, or Google Calendar?

This could be a little overwhelming for people with tons of Facebook friends they don't talk to, but for many, this quick tip could be a big time-saver.

All you need to do is access your birthday page by clicking here, then scrolling down to the very bottom and clicking "Export Birthdays."

Click the link to subscribe to the Birthdays calendar using your computer's default calendar app. Or, open up your favorite calendar app and add a calendar subscription. If you don't know how, Google how to add subscriptions for your calendar. Then, copy in the link from Facebook.

Grab Facebook's Desktop Notifications apps to always stay up to date

Facebook

MAC

Using the official desktop notifier for Mac, you'll get a Facebook icon in your menu bar that turns blue when you have a new notification. It's a

PC

Grab Internet Explorer 9 and pin the Facebook website to your taskbar. You'll see a red asterisk whenever you have a new notification. Or, try Facebook Desktop, a more feature-packed solution.

Wish you could post to several friends' walls at once?

All you need to do is tag friends in a post on your wall, or on anyone else's wall. Your post will show up on every persons' wall that you tag.

When you're typing a status or wall post, type the @ sign and then a friends' name. It will tag them in your post, and they'll see it on their wall as if it were a normal wall post.

Facebook's new Groups feature is a lot more powerful than it used to be

With Facebook's new Groups (which you create by clicking "Create Group" in your left navigation bar), you can essentially create your own listserv for a group of friends.

When you view a group, you'll see updates from friends, have the ability to edit documents together ("Create Doc" in right bar inside your group), chat together in a private chat room, and send out updates.

Create a group for your closest friends, or for your fantasy baseball team, or for anything else. If you want to leave a group, all you do is click the little gray "x" next to its name in the left navigation bar of Facebook.